“Billions of Years Old: The Age of Everything”
How old is Earth? How old is the universe? And how do we even know?
Dr. Darren Williams, associate professor of physics and astronomy at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, offers a hint in the title of his upcoming Open House Night in Astronomy lecture, “Billions of Years Old: The Age of Everything.” His presentation is designed for a non-technical audience and will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8, in room 101 of Otto Behrend Science Building.
“The age of the Earth – 4.6 billion years – is largely a settled question, primarily because we can measure radioactive elements that break down at a predictable rate,” Williams says. “Astronomical observations over the last half-century show that the universe is incredibly old. Stars with enough hydrogen to shine for billions of years are just beginning to die, and light from galaxies billions of light-years away is just today reaching our telescopes.”
Williams will outline the scientific discoveries that allow us to measure the age of the universe and its planets. His lecture is free and open to the public, and astronomical observation from the college’s Mehalso Observatory will follow, weather permitting. For more information, phone the Penn State Behrend School of Science at 814-898-6105.